Tree trimmer dies after being trapped in palm tree

A tree trimmer died Sunday afternoon after he was trapped in a palm tree in North Las Vegas, according to the fire department.

Las Vegas and North Las Vegas firefighters responded just before 1:50 p.m. to 1632. Palmer St., near East Owens Avenue and North Pecos Road, to a man who was about 30 feet up in a palm tree and yelling for help, according to Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski.

Initially reports from fire officials listed the address as 1635 Palmer St. The Fire Department corrected the address Monday.

It took crews about 15 minutes to reach the man, who was hidden by hanging palm fronds, cut the branches around him and remove him from the tree, said North Las Vegas Fire Captain Cedric Williams.

The man was not showing any obvious signs of life when he was rescued by a truck with a bucket at the end of an extended arm, Williams said.

He was taken in an ambulance about 2:30 p.m. It was unclear if the man, who Williams described as “middle-aged,” was pronounced dead in the ambulance or at the hospital.

His identity and cause and manner of death will be released by the Clark County coroner’s office, Williams said.

Five units from the North Las Vegas Fire Department and three “special teams” from the Las Vegas Fire Department, including a 100-foot ladder truck, responded to the rescue call, Szymanski said. The department’s special rescue teams use ropes, ladders and other special equipment to conduct high-angle and confined-space rescues, he said.

This is the second time in the last month that the fire department has responded to a person stuck in a palm tree. The last incident on Dec. 22 was less than a quarter of a mile away, in the 1700 block of James Street.

The man who was trimming a palm tree in December was trapped in the fronds and had complained of having trouble breathing. He died of positional mechanical asphyxia, meaning the position of his body obstructed his airways, preventing oxygen from entering his lungs, according to the Clark County coroner’s office.

Williams said if it turns out that the men worked for a company or companies, the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration would be notified by the coroner’s office.

Contact Kimber Laux at klaux@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @lauxkimber.